Fantasy football Week 4 waiver wire: Braelon Allen, Jaylen Wright headline rush for RB replacements

Plus, Keenan Allen and Darren Waller headline the pass-catchers worth targeting as injuries reshape Fantasy rosters Sep 29, 2026 at 12:59 pm ET • 12 min read Injuries hit us hard once again in Week 3, and Fantasy managers will look to the waiver wire for help. Running back is the biggest concern now after De'Von Achane (ACL) was lost for the season, and we also don't know when Breece Hall (thigh) and Travis Etienne (hamstring) will return to the field. We also had some big injuries at receiver with Justin Jefferson (ankle), Mike Evans (ribs) and Jalen Coker (quadriceps) all getting hurt in Week 3. All three appear to have avoided serious injuries, but we're not sure if any of them will play in Week 4. Baker Mayfield (thumb) was the biggest injury at quarterback, and he's expected to miss at least three weeks. And while we avoided a major injury at tight end, there are streaming options to consider for Week 4, as well as DST and kicker options. This is a good week to spend some FAAB on running back replacements like Braelon Allen (49 percent rostered on CBS Sports), Jaylen Wright (7 percent), Ollie Gordon II (3 percent) and Alvin Kamara (68 percent). Keenan Allen (29 percent) is likely the best receiver you'll find in the majority of leagues. Still, I love several tight ends this week, including Darren Waller (26 percent) and Kenyon Sadiq (44 percent). Remember, bye weeks start in Week 5, so now is a good time to plan ahead on the waiver wire. We don't like injuries, but players who benefit with more playing time can help win Fantasy leagues. You don't want to miss out on any potential league winners. Editor's note: For this waiver wire column, we are only looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues. QB | RB | WR| TE Week 4 Waivers Injuries: Baker Mayfield (thumb), Caleb Williams (hamstring) and Jayden Daniels (elbow) Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Kyler Murray (77 percent rostered) and Sam Darnold (66 percent). It's been a rough start to the season for Murray, who suffered a concussion in Week 1 against Green Bay, missed Week 2 at Chicago and then lost Justin Jefferson (ankle) for Week 3 at Minnesota. I still expect Murray to be a borderline No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, and I would add him where available heading into Week 4 against Miami, especially if Jefferson is able to play. ... Darnold returned in Week 3 at Washington from his one-game absence with a hip injury and scored 35.7 Fantasy points. He has the chance for another solid outing in Week 4 against the Chargers, and Darnold might have to carry the offense with the run game struggling. Darnold and Drew Lock have combined for 614 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions in the past two games. Drop candidates: Drake Maye (98 percent rostered), Justin Herbert (93 percent) and Baker Mayfield (77 percent). I still have faith that Maye and Herbert will be fantasy-relevant this season, but you can drop them for quarterbacks who are performing better heading into Week 4. Maye has scored 11.8 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row, and you can't start him in Week 4 at Buffalo. Hopefully, when A.J. Brown (ankle) is healthy, we'll see the best of Maye to close the season. The schedule also starts to improve in Week 5 when he faces Las Vegas, the Jets, Chicago, Miami, Green Bay and Detroit for six games in a row. ... Herbert has scored 15.3 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row. He has a brutal stretch of games coming up with Seattle in Week 5, Denver in Week 6, a bye in Week 7, the Rams in Week 8, Houston in Week 9 and Baltimore in Week 10. I'm not sure when you'll be excited to start Herbert in those matchups. ... Mayfield (thumb) is out for at least three weeks, and I'm not sure you'll start him when healthy. He has scored 14.2 Fantasy points or less in all three games this season.Add in this order: Week 4 Waiver Priority List WAIVER WIRE Running Backs Injuries: De'Von Achane (knee), Breece Hall (thigh), Travis Etienne (hamstring), Rico Dowdle (toe), Jonathon Brooks (groin), Jordan Mason (thumb), Jonah Coleman (ankle), Zach Charbonnet (knee), Dylan Sampson (knee), Isiah Pacheco (back), Jaylen Wright (neck) and James Conner (foot) Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Rachaad White (76 percent rostered), Woody Marks (73 percent), Emmett Johnson (72 percent), Mike Washington Jr. (70 percent), Zach Charbonnet (69 percent) and Alvin Kamara (68 percent). You got lucky if you used White as a flex in Week 3 against Seattle since he caught a touchdown, but he only had one catch for the 6-yard score on one target, along with eight carries for 35 yards. We'll see what happens with Austin Ekeler now joining the Commanders ahead of Week 4, but I still expect White to be the third-down back in Washington. He remains a good stash candidate in all leagues. ... Marks rushed for a touchdown in Week 3 at Indianapolis, and he finished the game with five carries for 15 yards and the score and one catch for 6 yards on one target. David Montgomery continues to struggle running the ball, so we'll see if Marks takes on a bigger role as the season goes on. He's a good stash candidate in all leagues. ... Johnson had a down game in Week 3 at Miami with only six carries for 17 yards, but he remains one of the best lottery tickets to stash in all leagues as the handcuff for Kenneth Walker III. If Walker were to miss any time, then Johnson would be a top-20 Fantasy running back. ... Washington is another lottery ticket running back to stash as the handcuff to Ashton Jeanty, and Washington just had five carries for 54 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 at New Orleans. If Jeanty were to miss any time, then Washington would be a top-20 Fantasy running back. ... Charbonnet should be added in all leagues since he can return to action as early as Week 5. And he could step into a big role right away since Jadarian Price has struggled for the Seahawks. ... Kamara should be added in all leagues with Travis Etienne (hamstring) hurt. Kamara will share touches with Kendre Miller and potentially CJ Donaldson, but Kamara likely has the most value of the healthy running backs in New Orleans. He missed Week 1 at Detroit with a knee injury, but he combined for 18 carries for 51 yards and six catches for 15 yards on seven targets in the past two games against Baltimore and Las Vegas. Kamara has flex potential in all formats for as long as Etienne is out. Drop candidates: De'Von Achane (100 percent rostered), MarShawn Lloyd (89 percent) and Tank Bigsby (70 percent). Achane is out for the season, and you can drop him in all redraft leagues. ... Lloyd has struggled as the lead running back in Green Bay, scoring 8.6 PPR points or less in all three games. He continues to share touches with Kaleb Johnson and Christopher Brooks, and we're waiting to find out if Josh Jacobs (Commissioner's Exempt List) will return this season. It's not all on Lloyd since Green Bay's offensive line has been a disaster. Still, you can drop him in all 10-team leagues and 12-team formats as well if you need a roster spot. ... Saquon Barkley was active in Week 3 at Chicago, and Bigsby didn't have a carry with only one catch for 5 yards on one target, including a lost fumble. He remains a good handcuff to stash, but you can drop him if you need a roster spot as long as Barkley is healthy.Add in this order: Week 4 Waiver Priority ListHandcuffs to stash: These are handcuffs to stash on your bench if you have an open roster spot. They could be league winners if the starter ever got hurt, but these running backs mostly have minimal Fantasy value as backups. They are listed in the order that I want to stash them on my bench. Brian Robinson Jr. - 39 percent rostered Emanuel Wilson - 53 percent rostered Tyler Allgeier - 59 percent rostered Chris Rodriguez Jr. - 51 percent rostered Tyjae Spears - 54 percent rostered Tyler Goodson - 1 percent rostered Samaje Perine - 13 percent rostered Justice Hill - 20 percent rostered Najee Harris - 11 percent rostered Seth McGowan - 7 percent rostered Ty Johnson - 4 percent rosteredInjuries: Justin Jefferson (ankle), Jalen Coker (quadriceps), Puka Nacua (hip), Mike Evans (ribs), Nico Collins (hamstring), A.J. Brown (ankle), Alec Pierce (heel), Jayden Reed (back), Caleb Douglas (ankle), Adonai Mitchell (finger), De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle), Ja'Kobi Lane (wrist), Jordyn Tyson (hamstring), Demarcus Robinson (ankle), Tank Dell (knee), Jalen McMillan (knee) and Omar Cooper Jr. (ankle) Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Jordan Addison (78 percent rostered), Tre Tucker (77 percent), Dontayvion Wicks (68 percent) and Jakobi Meyers (67 percent). Addison is a must-add heading into Week 4 with Jefferson (ankle) injured. He left Week 3 at Tampa Bay, and Addison had his best game of the season with five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. It was also the first full game for Kyler Murray. Hopefully, Addison will continue to be productive when Jefferson is healthy, which could be as early as Week 4 against Miami. Tucker only had four catches for 43 yards on four targets in Week 3 at New Orleans, but he should still be rostered in all leagues. He is a boom-or-bust No. 3 Fantasy receiver, and you saw his upside in Week 2 at the Chargers when he had five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. Brock Bowers is back now for the Raiders, and Tucker is the No. 2 target at best for Kirk Cousins. But this offense is performing well heading into Week 4, and Tucker will have plenty of positive moments as the season goes on. ... Wicks had a down game in Week 3 at Chicago with two catches for 32 yards on five targets, but the entire passing game was off for the Eagles. I still want to roster Wicks where available, and he scored at least 12.4 PPR points in each of his first two games. He should be second on Philadelphia in targets behind DeVonta Smith until Dallas Goedert (knee) is back. Wicks should be considered a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues heading into Week 4 against the Rams. ... Meyers looked great in Week 3 against New England with seven catches for 64 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. He didn't do much in the first two weeks of the season with a combined three catches for 68 yards and a touchdown on three targets against Cleveland and Denver, but the Patriots game might have moved him ahead of Brian Thomas Jr. in the pecking order for Trevor Lawrence. It's a good idea to stash Meyers where available, in case his Week 3 performance is a sign of things to come. Drop candidates: Rashod Bateman (89 percent rostered), Brian Thomas Jr. (89 percent), Marvin Harrison Jr. (86 percent), Xavier Worthy (83 percent) and Quentin Johnston (83 percent). Bateman has played two games with Zay Flowers, and Bateman combined for two catches for 37 yards on four targets in those outings. We'll see if anything changes moving forward, but it's hard to trust Bateman heading into Week 4 against Tennessee with Flowers healthy. Thomas is off to a slow start this season, with seven PPR points or less in three games in a row, and he has now scored 10.1 PPR points or less in seven games in a row, going back to last year, including the playoffs. You can hold him in 12-team leagues if you're hopeful he can turn things around. Fantasy managers in 10-team leagues can drop Thomas heading into Week 5. ... Harrison had his best game of the season in Week 3 at San Francisco with three catches for 40 yards on five targets, which tells you how bad things have gone for him so far. Maybe things will improve for Harrison as Jacoby Brissett continues to throw -- he had a season-high 52 pass attempts against the 49ers -- but Michael Wilson and even Kendrick Bourne have outproduced Harrison. He's easy to drop in 10-team leagues. ... Worthy had 13.5 PPR points in Week 2 against the Colts, and he combined for 8.8 PPR points in his other two outings against Denver and Miami. It's hard to trust Worthy when Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce are active. I would drop Worthy in most formats. ... Johnston is off to a slow start with seven PPR points or less in all three games, and he was outplayed by Tre Harris in Week 3 at Buffalo with six catches for 76 yards on seven targets. And the upcoming schedule for Johnston is brutal against Seattle in Week 4 and Denver in Week 5. I would drop Johnston in all formats.Add in this order:Week 4 Waiver Priority ListTyreek Hill - 7 percent rosteredEditor's note: Hill would be the seventh waiver-wire add listed in the WR table above. Hill (knee) posted on X on Monday that "it's almost time to get off the couch and get to work," and we'll see if he signs with a team any time soon. First, we have to see where he plays -- if at all -- in 2026, and then we have to make sure he's healthy. In the right situation, Hill could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and he's worth stashing for 1 percent of your remaining FAAB.Injuries: Dallas Goedert (knee), Terrance Ferguson (ankle), Colby Parkinson (shoulder), David Njoku (leg), Charlie Kolar (forearm), Mason Taylor (thumb), Eli Raridon (thigh) and Chigoziem Okonkwo (hamstring). Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Juwan Johnson (83 percent rostered) and Jake Ferguson (81 percent). Johnson continues to produce each week, and he's worth starting as a top-10 Fantasy tight end in Week 4 against Atlanta. He just had his best game of the season in Week 3 against Las Vegas with eight catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets, and he has scored at least 10.6 PPR points in each game this year. ... Ferguson is touchdown dependent, but he has three touchdowns on the season and nearly scored a fourth in Week 1 at the Giants. He'll be disappointing when he doesn't find the end zone since he only has nine catches for 72 yards on 11 targets in three games, but he also has league-winning upside if CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens ever miss any time. Drop candidates: Hunter Henry (57 percent rostered) and Pat Freiermuth (31 percent). I had high expectations for Henry when A.J. Brown (ankle) was injured, but Henry has only had four catches for 45 yards on seven targets in the past two games without Brown against Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. He has a tough matchup in Week 4 at Buffalo, and Henry can be dropped in all leagues. ... I thought Freiermuth would do well in Week 3 against Cincinnati, but he only managed two catches for 30 yards on four targets. He's now combined for just 12.5 PPR points in his past two games against the Patriots and Bengals, and you can drop Freiermuth in all leagues heading into Week 4 against Cleveland. Add in this order: Week 4 Waiver Priority List DST streamers Packers (48 percent rostered) at TB Bills (47 percent rostered) vs. NE Browns (16 percent rostered) vs. PIT Bears (27 percent rostered) vs. NYJ Kicker streamersTrey Smack (35 percent rostered) at TB Cairo Santos (44 percent rostered) vs. NYJ Drew Stevens (3 percent rostered) vs. IND Daniel Carlson (31 percent rostered) vs. ATL Spencer Shrader (44 percent rostered) at WAS